My travel report from March trip

Here is a little about my trip which I hope will help you plan yours:

Day 1:
Landed in GC, grandma was there to pick me up with a private taxi. We head out to Esquipulas, where my dad grew up and she now lives. Four and half hour travel time. Spent two nights there meeting extended family and visiting family coffee fincas. My grandmas sister roasted some beans for me to take home. Awesome to watch the process.

Day 3: Took a bus to Santa Elena. The bus company is called Transportes Maria Elena. The bus it self was old and uncomfortable but then again, Esquipulas is not a Western/European travel destination so we don't really have the luxury buses around this way 110Q. The trip took about 8 hrs. It was hot and (at points) miserable but the scenery made it an amazing and unforgettable trip. We finally get to Santa Elena and catch a taxi to Flores where we spent two nights. Booked a Tikal tour for the next day and a Sunrise tour for the day after. I wish I would have done the tours in reverse. Walking into the jungle in the pitch black darkness and coming up on the huge temples at night was unreal. We got really lucky as there was no fog and got a clear view. I booked the Sunrise Tour through Los Amigos Hostel.

Day 4: Took an overnight bus, Fronteras Del Norte, to GC. It was the double decker bus. Comfy seats and cold AC. Tickes were 210Q. We splurged!

Day 5: Got to GC very early from Flores. Got a Taxi from the bus station in Zone 1(?) to Antigua, I think the cost was something like $30 dollars. My grandma was with me the whole time and did all the negotiating.
Checked into Posada La Merced, 429Q/Night. The rooms were nice, hot water was spotty, no fridge in room but they do have a communal kitchen. Woke up with bed bug bites. I wouldn't go back but all the staff was very nice!

Day 6: Hiked volcan Pacaya. Booked through Posada La Merced. It takes 1.5 +/- hr to get there. In the morning there usually isn't much traffic. I forget exactly how long it took us to hike up to the top, maybe 2.5 hrs. The way back was pretty fast. Maybe and hour tops. The first half of the way up was brutal though. The drive back to Antigua took about 2hrs due to traffic/road construction.

Day 7/8: Toured around Antigua

Day 9: Arranged a shuttle through Posada to Airport. If you need to be at airport 2 hours ahead of schedule, leave 3 hours. It'll take the shuttle about an hour or more to pick up the rest of the passengers around town and then head to airport.

A couple tips that have already been shared but bares re-iteration. Guatemalan people are very friendly and king but move very nonchalantly and slow, trips that should take 1 hr will take 2 or 3.
Vendors and businesses have two price structures. One for locals and another for tourists. Locals don't have the type of disposable income as a tourist.
All destinations are far away! And you should plan accordingly. Hope this helps.

This is a great report - thanks for posting!

A couple of notes. Bed bug bites can take days to show up so if you woke up the 1st night at La Merced with bite marks, they could well have been from 1 of your previous stops. Here's a quote from the CDC site:
"Most people do not realize they have been bitten until bite marks appear anywhere from one to several days after the initial bite."

Also, depending on the day of the week and the time of the day, the share shuttles from Antigua can take up to 2 hours to reach the airport so it's a good idea not to cut it too close.

Thanks again for posting!

Really nice report, thanks for taking the time.

Nice report. I'm sure spending road time with Gram was wonderful. I looked up Esquipulas, it looks interesting.

I forgot to mention, since there is always a question about ATM use. I used an ATM inside Casa Del Jade and so far no problems with my account.

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